They followed the doctors' orders. The government took their babies away from them. – Mother Jones

Jade Dass was already taking medication for her opioid addiction before she became pregnant – which is recommended by scientific studies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But after Dass gave birth to a healthy daughter, the hospital reported her to the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

While drugs like Suboxone help pregnant women safely treat their addiction, taking them can lead to investigations by child welfare agencies that separate parents from their newborns. Why are women like Dass being investigated for taking addiction treatment drugs during pregnancy?

To understand the scope of this manhunt, Shoshana Walter and Melissa Lewis of the Center for Investigative Reporting, along with a team of researchers and lawyers, filed 100 public records requests and compiled the first-ever overview of how often women are reported to child protective services for taking prescription drugs during pregnancy.

This week on DiscoverIn an episode first airing in July 2023, follow Dass as she grapples with losing custody of her baby – and makes a last-ditch effort to keep her family together.

For more information about Dass and other mothers under investigation for drug abuse, see Shoshana Walter’s investigation in collaboration with the New York Times Magazine.